The most promising words ever written on the maps of human knowledge are terra incognita, unknown territory.
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
History had been man's effort to accomodate himself to what he could not do. Amereican history in the 20th century would, more than ever before, test man's ability to accomodate himself to all the new things he could do.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the challenges humanity faces in adapting to rapid changes and advancements in capabilities over time.
Daniel J. Boorstin's quote reflects the dual nature of history: the struggle to accept limitations and the ongoing test of adapting to newfound possibilities. In the 20th century, the pace of innovation and change presented unprecedented opportunities and challenges for humanity, demanding resilience and adaptability as people confronted what they could achieve.
Themes
HistoryAdaptationInnovationChange20Th Century
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote in a lecture about the impact of technology on society.
More from Daniel J. Boorstin
All quotes →Freedom means the opportunity to be what we never thought we would be.
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
Human models are more vivid and more persuasive than explicit moral commands.
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
Knowledge is not simply another commodity. On the contrary. Knowledge is never used up. It increases by diffusion and grows by dispersion.
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
We need not be theologians to see that we have shifted responsibility for making the world interesting from God to the newspaperman.
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
There was a time when the reader of an unexciting newspaper would remark, 'How dull is the world today!' Nowadays he says, 'What a dull newspaper!'
Daniel J. BoorstinRead
Similar quotes
I hope my journals relating to World War II will help clarify issues of the past and thereby contribute to understanding the issues and conditions of the present and future.
Charles LindberghRead
In Brazil, the history of the interaction between blancos and indios - whites and Indians - often reads like an extended epitaph. Tribes were wiped out by disease and massacres; languages and songs were obliterated.
David GrannRead
Our generation was born during the turmoil following the First World War. That war marked the dividing line - at least for the Western World - between the comfortable security of the 19th century and the instability and flux of our own time.
Robert KennedyRead
I'm the son of two Holocaust survivors. As a child, I heard from one of my parents' best friends about living through Mengele's infamous selection process at Auschwitz. He haunted my nightmares.
Ronen BergmanRead
Crosses and gallows - that deadly historic juxtaposition.
Howard ZinnRead
History is always changing behind us, and the past changes a little every time we retell it.
Hilary MantelRead